Family of American aid worker held by ISIS receives notification of her death

The White House has confirmed the death of an American aid worker, Kayla Jean Mueller, four days after the so-called Islamic State said she was killed by a Jordanian-led airstrike intended to target the extremist group.

“We are heartbroken
to share that we’ve received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller
has lost her life,” her family said.

Mueller’s name had not been made public until last Friday when a
statement attributed to the group calling itself the Islamic
State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) said she died “when she
was buried beneath the rubble of the building” following an
airstrike outside of Raqqa, Syria that was supposedly launched by
the Jordanian military after that nation vowed to intensify its
campaign against the extremists.

The 26-year-old aid worker from Prescott, Arizona was working
with the group Doctors Without Borders near the Turkish-Syrian
border in mid-2013, according to a recent profile published by The Daily Beast, and disappeared
after reportedly traveling toward the town of Aleppo with her
boyfriend. Mueller was believed to be the last American hostage
being held by the militants.

"Syrians are dying by the thousands and they're fighting just
to talk about the rights we have," Mueller told her hometown
paper, The Daily Courier, in April 2013. “For as long as I
live, I will not let this suffering be normal."

In Tuesday’s statement, Pres. Obama said “Kayla's compassion
and dedication to assisting those in need shows us that even
amongst unconscionable evil, the essential decency of humanity
can live on.”

“No matter how long it takes, the United States will find and
bring to justice the terrorists who are responsible for Kayla's
captivity and death,” the president said. “ISIL is a
hateful and abhorrent terrorist group whose actions stand in
stark contrast to the spirit of people like Kayla. On this day,
we take comfort in the fact that the future belongs not to those
who destroy, but rather to the irrepressible force of human
goodness that Kayla Mueller shall forever represent.”

“Our hearts are breaking for our only daughter, but we will
continue on in peace, dignity and love for her,” the woman’s
parents said on Tuesday.